Moscow tries to torpedo talks between Kosovo and Serbia

The head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell is due to welcome Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Monday in an attempt to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina. Both parties have agreed to the terms of a European plan which would lead to restoring their ties more than two decades after the war which opposed them, assured the European official, on condition of anonymity.

” Russia recently intervened »

But the success of the plan will depend on its implementation by both sides in the coming months, and Moscow is working to pressure Serbia to oppose any deal, he said. ” Russia recently intervened “, he said. According to him, the Russian ambassador in Belgrade is “ hyperactive “, multiplies the interviews with the press and maintains that “ this is not the right time to address the question of Kosovo, that we must wait for a new world order to be established between Russia and the West “.

” I see this as a threat to President Vucic, a warning not to accept the proposal (…) I did not notice that it had an impact on his position, but it had an impact on part of the opposition in Serbia, we saw violent demonstrations “Judges the European official.

Tensions escalate

Kosovo, a former Serbian province whose 1.8 million inhabitants are overwhelmingly Albanian, declared its independence in 2008, but it is not recognized by Serbia. Since November 2022, tensions have escalated in northern Kosovo, where Belgrade is encouraging the Serbian minority to withhold all loyalty to Pristina.

Five EU countries (Greece, Spain, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus) do not recognize Kosovo’s independence either. The peace plan drawn up by the EU has not been made public, allowing the two parties to present their interpretation. “ This is a de facto recognition “said the European official.

(With AFP)